In the areas of public expenditure, public procurement is one such sector where corruption is most prevalent and has the most devastating effect, distorting the public finances and impairing the delivery of public services such as the building of schools and the provision and quality of medical care. To combat corruption in public procurement, adequate legal and regulatory framework must be established and effectively enforced together with constant and consistent vigilance exercised in all corners of the society. This UNITAR e-learning course will examine the gravity of this issue and aims to provide participants information and understanding of the general concepts of public procurement, its importance in national economies and the global impact of corruption. The course will discuss the susceptibility of various stages of public procurement cycle to corrupt practices, procurement related sections of various international anti-corruption instruments and policies, and the measures that could be taken to effectively detect and prevent corruption in public procurement. A successful completion of this course will enable participants to identify and analyse corruption risks in public procurement, to design and apply strategies and initiatives for preventing and combating corruption in this sector, and to effectively implement the anti-corruption programme.

In order to ensure the best possible outreach, the course will be delivered through e-learning. Through a multiple-instructional setting, the goal is to achieve the learning objectives by means of learning technologies that match personal learning styles, and by the inclusion of non-linear learning, the course aims at the development of just-in-time skills of adult learners. At the same time, in order to allow participants the maximum flexibility of scheduling, the learning will be conducted in an asynchronous manner. Using a state-of-the-art training architecture, UNITAR will combine self-learning with assessments and online discussions. The pedagogy - adapted specifically for professionals in full-time work - will help train participants through various experiences: absorb (read); do (activity); interact (socialize); reflect (relate to one’s own reality).

This course is an intermediate level course for which the intended audience are government officials, staff of law enforcement agencies, senior and middle managers, policy makers, project managers, procurement practitioners, strategy officers who are responsible for continued improvement and transparency who are responsible for adopting and implementing good practices and principles in their framework, as well as anti-corruption advisers.

A certificate of completion will be issued by UNITAR to all participants who complete the course-related assignments and assessments successfully. Course schedule is subject to change. Course fee is non-refundable but transferrable to another course or participant and subject to change as per UNITAR's policy on pricing.